Beyond Narnia to C.S. Lewis and Today's Christianity

Raymond J. Keating

C.S. Lewis was born in the late nineteenth century, and died more than forty years ago. So, what
could this guy possibly contribute to the early twenty-first century?

Well, as it turns out, a heck of a lot.

Obviously, there is the release of the new movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and
the Wardrobe." The Narnia series, written by Lewis, has been enjoyed by children for decades, and
offers rich Christian themes to be explored and mined by young and old alike.

Indeed, Lewis probably gained his most widespread and lasting popularity due to Narnia, and this
film ­ hopefully followed by others in the seriees ­ will only add to his reputation and reach.
Normally, that would be more than enough for a lifetime of work. But rather incredibly, Lewis
offers much more.

Not only was Lewis also a professor of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Oxford and Cambridge, but he wrote literary criticism, including the classic Oxford "English Literature in the Sixteenth Century," science fiction, and fantasy. And of course, Lewis was a Christian lay theologian.

The lasting and powerful appeal of his "Mere Christianity" across denominations ranks as a
formidable accomplishment. And "The Screwtape Letters" provides a powerful reminder of Satan's
deceptive temptations.

Lewis also weighed in on a host of problems and challenges that persist today, and offered
observations that still warrant consideration and reflection.

For example, what about the current plague of moral relativism? Lewis noted in "The Poison of
Subjectivism" that some argue against an "immutable moral code" as a hindrance to "progress." He
logically countered: "Our ideas of the good may change, but they cannot change for either the
better or the worse if there is no absolute and immutable good to which they can approximate or
from which they can recede."

Could Lewis offer any insights on using other human beings through embryonic stem cell research for
the purposes of advancing health care? In "The Abolition of Man," Lewis' powerful warning that "if
man chooses to treat himself as raw material, raw material he will be" should give pause, to say
the least.

It often is the fault of the church itself that moral relativism and the devaluation of human life
have advanced so far. When various churches reject fundamental morality, and turn their backs on
the authority of Holy Scripture and Christian tradition, what should we expect from the culture at
large?

The Anglican Church in Europe and the Episcopal Church in America serve as glaring examples. Some
might wonder what Lewis, as an Anglican Christian himself, might think as the Anglican community
rips itself apart in the early twenty-first century due to a rejection of traditional morality and
orthodox Christianity by liberals within the church. We do not have to speculate, however.

In 1959, Lewis raised grave concerns about "a theology which denies the historicity of nearly
everything in the Gospels to which Christian life and affectations and thought have been fastened
for nearly two millennia." He predicted that if his church ceased to offer what has long been
recognized as Christianity, many would simply look for another church where Christianity is taught.
And if a person agrees with this different theology, "he will no longer call himself a Christian
and no longer come to church."

Lewis powerfully concluded: "Once the layman was anxious to hide the fact that he believed so much
less than the Vicar: he now tends to hide the fact that he believes so much more. Missionary to the
priests of one's own church is an embarrassing role; though I have a horrid feeling that if such
mission work is not soon undertaken the future history of the Church of England is likely to be
short."

Lewis, of course, turned out to be right on target. Forty-six years ago, he foresaw the devastation
to be wrought by what he called "modern theology." In the struggle to maintain Anglicanism in
Europe and America as substantively Christian, traditionalists fortunately can turn to one of their
own, C.S. Lewis, who ranks as the greatest defender of the Christian faith over the past century.